Archive for January, 2010

As my first official blog as Fernbank’s marketing and communications intern, it sure is hard to begin… not because of lack of things to say, but because there is SO MUCH to say, and who knows if this blog alone is room enough to contain my gratifying thoughts.

When I announced to my family, friends and peers that I would be interning for the museum, two questions came up continuously:

1) So you get to work with the dinosaurs? (As if the dinosaurs are alive and well, walking the halls and conversing with patrons and staff about their day); and,

2) What does journalism (my major) have to do with a museum?

To answer the first question: obviously no one actually works with the dinosaurs, although I must admit that I’ve caught myself daydreaming about the dinosaurs coming to life as they do in A Night at the Museum. Nevertheless, they are wonderful displays onsite and I am eager to learn about all of the programs, exhibitions and special events that take place here.

As for the second question, how can journalism not have everything to do with a museum (as well as marketing, public relations, advertising and all fields under the communications umbrella, for that matter)? There is so much hard work and preparation involved with establishing a successful organization. The first step in promoting an organization is reaching the public – and Fernbank seems to be great at that! Everyone I’ve spoken to has either heard of Fernbank, been here themselves or is in the process of planning a visit. This could not be done without a communications team (and certainly could not be done without all departments working together). It has always been my dream and educational goal to reach out to the public and get a message out, preferably an educational message, and Fernbank is the perfect place to start learning and gaining experience!

As the New Year unfolds, get ready to plan your trip – there will be even more reasons why Atlantans (and even out-of-towners!) need to check out Fernbank. A very special exhibition, Nature Unleashed, will show us how scientists understand and analyze natural disasters and how studying Earth’s changing climate will better prepare us for all that Mother Nature has up her sleeve (running Feb.6 – May 2). In addition, visitors can get seated in our comfy theatre chairs and get ready for the adventure that is Arabia (this film is available in 3D; however, Fernbank’s presentation of the film will show in 2D). This IMAX feature will run from March 12 to July 29 and allows viewers to experience another region of the world so different from our own, traveling to exotic lands and ancient sites. Though this region continues to endure changes and conflict, Arabia will show us that despite many misconceptions, it is full of culture, splendor and affluence.

I look forward to learning as much as possible about Nature Unleashed, Arabia and all that Fernbank has to offer! Until next time…

About

At Fernbank Museum, there’s much more than dinosaurs and giant-screen films. Even with our website, e-newsletters, Facebook pages and Twitter updates, there’s still a lot we’d like to share with you. This blog is an opportunity for the people that keep Fernbank running and constantly expanding, to share stories from their point of view. We hope you’ll enjoy these first-hand, behind-the-scenes glimpses of what goes into keeping a world-class natural history museum running. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback on these stories, to hear your personal experiences and hear any suggestions for topics.
Happy reading!